The Crossroads
by MegaBauer
Summary: Jack Bauer knows he must leave the United States and says his final goodbyes before he leaves. Epilogue to Day 6.


_**"24: The Crossroads"**_

_I do not own the 24 franchise. 24 is owned by 20th Century Fox and Imagine Entertainment._

* * *

><p><strong>The Following Takes Place in the hours after Day Six.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Counter Terrorist Unit, Los Angeles Branch.<br>****9:00 AM.**

Jack Bauer has returned to CTU following his goodbye to the comatose Audrey Raines.  
>Like usual, he's stoic - at least externally - as he proceeds into the bullpen area of CTU.<br>With Milo and so many others dead, it feels like he's entering a morgue. It's certainly not the first time CTU has felt  
>like this to Jack.<br>Nadia approaches him, telling him that he needs to file a debriefing.

"Good work out there, Jack," Nadia says, "You can begin your debriefing when you're ready."

Bauer ignores her, like she was just another shadow.  
>He looks around for Chloe O'Brian, but she's not at her station, neither is Morris.<p>

"Where's Chloe?", he finally asks, flatly.

"In Medical", Nadia replies.

Jack looks slightly perplexed for a second, then steamrolls ahead, not saying another word.

"Jack, I need to debrief you!", Yassir says, a little louder, but Jack ignores her.  
>Again, just another shadow.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CTU Medical.<strong>

Jack walks in to see Chloe lying on her back in one of the beds and her ex-husband Morris is beside her.

"Are you alright?", Jack asks.

Chloe nods.

"The lass had a bit of a scare earlier", Morris replies.

"... Morris, could you get me these things in a messenger bag?", Jack hands Morris a list of items he needs,  
>"I lost them last year when I was taken by the Chinese."<p>

Morris looks at the items, and notices it looks a lot like a survival kit, not too dissimilar from the one Chloe assembled for  
>Jack when he went into hiding, faking his own death a few years ago.<p>

"... yeah,... sure, Jack.", Morris replies, after studying the list.

"Thank you", Jack drones as Morris leaves.

After Morris exits, Jack turns to Chloe and asks, "What happened earlier?"

"I fainted on the job", Chloe answers.

Jack replies "That doesn't sound like you, Chloe."

Chloe smiles a little bit, and and reveals, "... I'm pregnant, Jack."

Bauer is caught by surprise. "What?", he says.

Chloe nods, "I found out today."

Jack barely expresses a fraction of what looks like _half_ of a smile upon hearing the news.

"Congratulations... is Morris...", he asks.

Chloe nods, indicating that Morris is the dad.

Jack walks over to Chloe and pulls up a chair next to her bed.

"Chloe, Now that you're going to be a parent, I think you should get out of this job."

"Why?"

"I learned the hard way, and I told Chase this too, you can't do this job and have a family at the same time. Bad things will happen."

"... okay", Chloe says.

A long moment of silence passes as Jack looks down at the floor.

"You're leaving again, aren't you?", Chloe asks, blunt and to the point.

Jack looks up and says, "... Yes. There are things I have to put back together... and I can't do that here. Not around this...  
>I need to get away from everything and everybody for a while."<p>

Chloe's eyes well-up with tears and she reches over and hugs Jack.

Jack returns the hug, embracing the woman who may very well be the only friend he has left who's still living.

A few moments pass, until Jack breakes the silence.

"Thank you for everything you've ever done for me and my family," Jack states, "Everything."

After another long moment, Morris returns with the messenger bag full of items and sees Jack and Chloe hugging.  
>He doesn't want to inturrupt, knowing the history between these two.<br>Jack sees Morris and and pulls away from Chloe and sees her tear-covered face.

"You don't have to worry about me, Chloe... everything's going to be okay now," Jack says, hoping he's right - but deep down,  
>knowing that he's not - and wipes the tears from Chloe's eyes.<p>

Jack gets up and gives Chloe a pat on the shoulder before walking towards Morris. He hands Jack the bag full of items, saying,  
>"This is everything you'll need."<p>

Jack replies, "Good", as he looks through the bag's contents: a replacement HP USP 9mm, a switchblade knife, untraceable cell  
>phone and other things, including... ciggarettes?<br>Jack pulls them out and looks at Morris quizzically.

"You never know when you'll need to take a drag," Morris shrugs.

Jacks puts the smokes back into the sack and Morris adds, "There's a few extra clips in there too."

"Good", Jack says, hoisting the travel bag over his shoulder.

Jack looks back at Chloe, then to Morris.

"You take care of her, alright, Morris?", Jack instructs.

"Absolutly", Morris answers.

Jack shakes Morris' hand and heads for the door... he stops... looks back at Chloe and Morris a final time.  
>Jack is shrouded slightly in a shadow; which is stark contrast to Morris and Chloe, the couple starting their lives anew.<br>Jack gives them one last nod before leaving the medical ward... out of their lives, possibly forever.

Morris sits next to Chloe and asks, "The old boy's going away, isn't he?"

Chloe begins to weep again. This time, Morris takes her in his arms, letting her tears land on him.  
>And he's not letting go this time. He already lost her once. He's not losing her again.<p>

Godwilling.

* * *

><p>In another room inside of CTU, Marylin Bauer sits with her young son Josh. It's been a really, really bad day for them.<br>Now, they know first hand the hell Jack goes through on a frequent basis. They both hope they never have to experience  
>it again.<br>Jack enters the room to check up on them.

"Uncle Jack!", Josh says.

They share a hug and Jack asks, "You okay?"

"Yeah", Josh replies, "Well... about as fine I can be, I guess."

Understandably, the boy's world has been turned inside out today, so he's not doing as well as he lets on.

"Can I speak with your Mom for a minute?", Jack asks.

Josh nods and leaves the room, standing just outside the glass door.

Jack says, "I'm so sorry for everything, Marylin"

"Don't be, Jack. If anything, we owe you our lives.", she replies.

"Look,... I'm going to be away a while... there is one thing you could do, though... stay in touch with Kim.  
>But... if she wants to be left alone, just respect that."<p>

"I will, Jack", Maryiln replies.

Without another word said, Jack leaves. Marylin watches him interact with her son, for perhaps the last time ever outside in the  
>hallway and a tear runs down her cheek.<p>

It's been a really, really bad day.

* * *

><p>Jack Bauer briefly searches something on an unoccupied computer station, then stoicly walks through the bullpen after<br>getting want he wanted. Naddia Yassir sees him and again presses him on the debreif.

"Jack, we need to... the report isn't gonna file itself!", she calls.

Jack ignores her again, like a shadow.

Nadia huffs with her hands on her hips, "Bill was right about this son of a bitch!"

* * *

><p><strong>2:00 PM<strong>

Jack had stolen one of CTU's SUV's and immediately sabotaged the onboard GPS tracker inside. He knew he  
>shouldn't have done it, and that maybe what he was about to do was a little bit obsessive.<br>But, he needed it, just for today... he had to use it so he could perhaps see her for one last time.

Jack had the news radio in the SUV on and had just now learned of Wayne Palmer's collapse. Another friend in jeopardy now.  
>Jack realizes the sooner he leaves, the better.<br>The better it will be for everybody.  
>The better it will be for him.<br>The better it will be... for her.

Jack uses the binoculars given to him by Morris and stares at one particular house, never shifting his stare. He wouldn't be too  
>suprised if nobody came out, especially considering yesterday's events. When citizens witness a series of terrorist attacks<br>transpiring all week, culminating in a nuclear device going off in the middle of California and the President of the United States  
>collapsing in the middle of a news conference, they will probably be scared to death. Maybe it was too much of a stretch that he'd<br>expect to get at least one last glimpse of her. Maybe he's wasting his time and he should just leave this fucking place right now,  
>before <em>another<em> person dies, like Heller says.  
>Then, the door of the house opened... and out she came.<br>Jack sat up a little straighter in his seat... it had been so long since he had seen her...  
>she'd changed so much, but she was still... Kimberly.<p>

Kim closed the door behind her and walked to the mailbox. She was still short at only 5'3, but, she looked like a woman now, not  
>the rebellious teenager who always seemed to find herself in trouble when terrorists attacked. She was wearing a blouse and<br>jeans, and her long blonde hair was now even longer, nearly reaching her doesn't know it, but Kim had a feeling that the reason  
>why the terrorist attacks got worse, then suddenly stopped was probably because he was back and had stopped them.<br>She has no clue yet that her grandfather and Uncle are dead and were involved with some evil people.

Kim stops in front of the box, keeping her head down and retreiving the mail inside...  
>then, she freezes... like she knows something's up.<br>She looks over her left shoulder, mouth slightly ajar, towards Jack. Behind the binoculars, Jack can feel his heart pounding right now.  
>Jack doesn't know if she can see him, or if she's noticed the SUV. But, he finally has a good look at his daughter and it nearly drives<br>him to tears right there.

Kim still looks towards him, then, slowly breakes her gaze and closes the box and walks back up the driveway.  
>Then, she stops and looks back again. She has to have noticed the SUV sitting there from the position she's standing now.<br>Then, Kim finally opens the door, and goes back inside.

Jack puts the binoculars down and rests his head on his forearms, which are now crossed atop the steering wheel, his eyelids  
>squeezing shut. Watching his daughter leave his sight was like the last bit of his old life walking away, leaving him in the dust.<br>He can feel a lump forming in his throat and deep down he wants to start sobbing, but he buries his saddness for now, because at  
>least he knows for sure that Kim is safe now, hopefully far away from the influence of that quack of a psychologist he met the last<br>time he saw her.

Jack regains his composure and starts the truck up again, driving away. But, his business is not done here yet.  
>He still has one more person to say goodbye to...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>6:00 PM<br>Cemetary.**

The sun is starting to set on the west coast. But, there will still be plenty of light for Jack to see. Bauer makes his way to one  
>particular grave... one he hasn't forgotten... although, he hasn't been back here since the day of the funeral. Each step takes him to<br>slightly higher ground, now there is a beautiful view of the area around him... and finally he stops... and stares at the gravestone in  
>front of him that reads...<p>

_**"Teressa Bauer. **__**Beloved Mother and Wife."**_

"... Hello, Teri...", he says, "... it's been a long time..."

Jack gets down on his knees... then sits down beside Teri's headstone, as if he was sitting next to her.

"... I saw Kim today, Teri... by God"... Jack weeps, "... she was so beautiful... I wanted so bad... to just hug her... just to tell her how  
>much I love her... how much I miss her... you have no idea, Teri, how much I wish I had died and you had lived that day... no idea."<p>

Jack chokes-up, finally allowing the emotion to hit him here.

"I never wanted this, Teri!", Jack says, now sobbing, "All I ever wanted was for us to be together... happy... safe and secure... But,  
>everytime I tried to move on... something went wrong... every goddamn time!... and it won't be long before it happens again...<br>and again... and I can't take it anymore, Teri... almost everybody's dead! I don't know if Chase survived the attack... Wayne is in a  
>coma... Tony didn't even get <em>a goddamn burial<em>!... my father... Graem... and Audrey..." Jack pauses, squeezing his eyes shut, as new  
>tears run down his face.<br>"It wasn't my fault, dammit... it was the fucking Drazens... that bitch Nina... and Logan... Henderson...  
>I DIDN'T DO ANY OF THIS!" Jack screams, kicking his head up towards the sky, almost like he's yelling at God himself.<br>But, deep down inside, Jack has this gnawing feeling that he _is_ the one responsible for everything and that instead of being  
>sentenced to enternal damnation, he's serving it now, here on Earth.<br>Jack stays quiet for several moments, still weeping...

"I just want to be happy again, Teri... I want it all to end..."

Jack remains silent... letting himself drift back to another time... when he had everything he ever wanted, before he lost it all...

* * *

><p><strong>1985.<strong>

A young 19-year-old man named Jack Bauer makes his way to an appartment. He knocks on the door and the young lady who  
>answers is a young 20-year-old named Teri, who had just moved out of her parents' house and was now trying to make it big<br>as an artist. She had a head of long, dark stawberry-shaded hair and a smile that turned bright when she saw Jack standing  
>accross from her.<p>

"Jack!", she said.

"_This_ is for you, my lady", Jack says, producing a rose from behind his back.

Teri gasps slightly, "Thank you, Jack!"

They kiss and Teri lets Jack in. Jack looks around and sees several of Teri's paintings adorning the room.

"These are absolutly beatiful, Teri", Jack says, in a soft gentle voice that sounds nothing like the sharp rasp he would develop  
>years later.<p>

"Oh, stop it", Teri sheeps.

"No, really, they are", Jack says, grinning, "Of course, not as beautful as you, though."

"I mean it, stop it!", Teri says, laughing.

"No, _I_ mean it! You're unbelievable!", Jack says, with a devilish grin, leaning himself towards Teri's face. Teri takes a step forward  
>and kisses her young male friend on the lips, much more passionatly than the first kiss, but after it's over, Teri exclaims... "Yuck!"<p>

Jack is aghast!... "Yuck?"

"You're smoking again, aren't you?", Teri asks, bluntly.

"Teri-"

"Those things are gonna kill you one day", Teri says, waving a finger in front of Jack.

"Teri... it's gonna take a lot to kill Jack Bauer"

"Have it your way, Superman!", Teri says, tossing Jack the _Pep-O-Mint _Life Savers.

"... dammit", Jack silently cusses, knowing he shouldn't have smoked before seeing Teri.

"So, how was work today?", Teri asks about Jack's job with the police.

"Aside from the rookie hazing, nothing new.", Jack replied, "Vic got me good today."

"Oh, God," Teri groans, "There's something about that Vic guy I don't like, Jack."

"What do you mean, Teri?"

"I just... have this bad feeling that he's gonna get everybody around him in prison or a grave one day.  
>The sooner we get away from him, the better."<p>

"I don't think he's _that bad_ a guy, Teri", Jack says, wrapping his arms around Teri again.

Teri smiles sheepishly. "Okay, you stallion, what's on your mind tonight?"

Jack grins, "I don't feel like cooking... you wanna go out?"

"Hmmmm... come to think of it, I'm little hungry,"

* * *

><p><strong>1986.<strong>

Jack and Teri have been dating for a long time now and on this night, they are strolling the beach together. Jack is advancing in the  
>Police department and looks to be a SWAT team member before long. As Teri looks at the orange, pink, purple and blue sky around<br>them, she can't help but notice that Jack is very antsy today, defintely uncharacteristic for him.

"Are you okay?", she asks.

"Yeah, I'm just... something's been eating at me today."

"It's not Vic again, is it?"

"Oh, No. It's just... can we sit down?"

Jack and Teri walk over to a nearby bench. Teri sits down, but Jack still looks excitable.

Teri can't hep but laugh. "Are you gonna sit down or not?", she asks.

Jack looks around, antsy.

"This is amazing... this place with the sunset, looks almost like one of your pictures!", Jack says.

"You know," he says, "ever since I first met you, Teri... I haven't been the same. You're kinda like a drug, I can't get enough of you"

"Jack... are you alright?"

"Teri... I'm great... there's one thing that's been getting to me today..."

Jack gets down on his knees and says, "I want you to marry me!"

Teri is in shock. "What?", she gasps.

"I'm serious, Teri... the only thing I need to is..."

Jack pulls a ring out of his pants pocket and suddenly stops acting jumpy.

His voice lowered to a velvety tone, asking, "... will you?"

Teri tears up, and finally answers, "Yes!"

Jack place the ring on her finger and Jack wraps her in a hug, spinning her around a few times.

* * *

><p><strong>1987.<br>****Hospital.**

Jack is nervously walking the floor of the waiting room. His father and brother are with him.

"Jesus, Jack!", Graem says, "You're making me so nervous, I'm gonna lose even more hair, and so will you."

"I can't help it, Grae", Jack replies, his voice now tinged with a slight rasp from the constant smoking. He's so nervous, he lit up  
>about a whole pack today alone. The circumstances aren't making it much better. Teri went into labor, but the baby is very late.<br>So, the doctors have decided to give Teri a C-Section. But, Jack is wound-up like crazy right now.

"Jack," Phillip says, in his usual bassful voice, "Everything will be fine."

The assurance isn't enough to calm Jack down.

Then, the doctor comes in and asks, "Mr. Jack Bauer? Could I speak with you for a moment?"

Jack felt every hair on his neck stand up on end. He felt like all of the muscles in his legs were gone and replaced with geletan.  
>Jack approached the doctor and hopes that the news the doctor has isn't bad.<p>

"Is my wife alright?", he asks.

"She's fine Mr. Bauer, she's going to be resting for a little while, but she's okay."

"And the baby?"

"Also healthy, Mr. Bauer... it's a girl. Congratulations."

* * *

><p><strong>Later.<strong>

Teri is in her room, awake and resting following the procedure. A nurse walks into the room with a smile on her face.

"Mrs. Bauer, there's someone here who wants to see you.", she says.

The nurse opens the door and in walks Jack, holding their baby in his arms. Teri holds her arms out, awaiting her newborn daughter.

Jack says, "_This_ is for you, my lady", as he lowers the baby girl into Teri's arms.

"Hey, little girl!", Teri coos, almost tearing-up, "She's got your eyes, Jack"

Jack smiles and asks, "My God, should we name her?"

"Well, I was looking in a book this week... how about... Elisha?"

Jack shrugs, "... I'm not so sure. That's a good name, but..."

"... Sarah?"

"... not quite."

"How about... _Kimberly_?"

"Kimberly... yeah... Kimberly Bauer... that's it!", Jack says with approval.

Kimberly looks up at her Mom, looking quite tired from the long journey into the world today.

"Hello, Kimberly", Teri coos.

Jack cant bring himself to respond. But, the tears-well-up in his eyes too.  
>Ever since she's known him, Teri's never seen Jack cry until now.<p>

"Hello, Kimberly... we're your Mom and Dad... and you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life", Jack warbles, just barely.

* * *

><p><strong>1992<strong>

Jack Bauer is now a member of the LAPD's SWAT team and he's the best officer on the team. Teri is now a professional artist and  
>sculpter and currently holds a job with Dark Horse Comics. Kim is almost five years old, but tonight has not been a good night.<br>Earlier, Kim had seen a horror movie clip on TV and it scared her, and now she's affraid the bad man with the chainsaw in the movie  
>is going to get her. She ran away, screaming and crying into her father's arms after she saw it. Teri was distraught, blaming herself<br>for leaving the T.V. on that channel causing her daughter be exposed to crap. Once Jack returned home, it was time for a mision that  
>could prove to be just as difficult as stopping a hostage situation: calming a five year old.<p>

It had been a little while since she saw the clip, but she was still scared. Jack has to explain the difference between fiction and  
>reality to her.<p>

"You see, it was all just make-believe. And, as scary as the bad guy was, he's not real. He's just somebody who goes to work, and  
>puts a costume on and pretends he's bad."<p>

"What about all the people?", Kim asks about the on-screen victims.

"They're just playing too", Jack assures, "After the man who's the director turns the camera off, they get right back up. But, you can't  
>do to anybody for real, Kim, because then people would really be hurt."<p>

"Daddy?", Kimberly asks, "Are there any bad people like the bad man?"

... that's a tough queston, especially considering Jack's line of work...

Jack finally replies, holding Kim's tiny little hands in his, "Kimmy... there are... some in the world who are bad. But, they're nothing like  
>the man on TV... and they're not here... and I promise you, sweetie, there're never coming here, and they're never coming to<br>get us."

Unfortunatly, as history has proven, those promises were faulty in many ways. Of course, Jack had no idea that one day, people  
>who were far worse than any horror movie villain were going to come.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>The weeks following Opperation Nightfall.<strong>

Kim is now 14, long over those horror movie scares. Teri is looking to open an art studio and has cut her hair very short and it nearly  
>looks black. And Jack had recently returned from the ill-fated Opperation Nightfall. Teri met him as he returned, but there was<br>something off about him, like the mission had scarred him.

The Bauers were at the dinner table and Kim was talking about school and her new friend Janet York. But, suddenly, Jack froze,  
>sitting there like a stone statue, his eyes stareing off into nothingness. He wasn't here for the moment... he was still in Kosovo,<br>watching nearly all of his men get mowed down by a hailstorm of bulletts, hearing Saunders' scream, and then hearing that scream  
>disappear.<p>

Kim was oblivious to her father's sudden catatonic state as she continued talking about school while buttering up a dinner roll.  
>But, Teri noticed Jack's zombified state and it scared her to death.<p>

She suddenly blurted, "Jack?... _Jack_!"

Teri's panic had startled and hushed Kim, and Jack finally snapped out of it, remembering where he was.

"... I'm so sorry", he stammered, "Um... I'll- I'll be right back in a second."

Jack left the table, looking disturbed about something. Teri's stare followed him as he left. Jack was acting like this a lot lately, and it  
>was starting to scare her.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>One year before the day of The California Presidential Primary.<strong>

The aftermath of the mission had left a mark on Jack that he'd never forget, and even though he was soon recruited into CTU, a job  
>where he could work closer to home most of the time, he spent more time in the damn office than he did at home. The strain on Teri<br>and the marrage were too much and it looked like a divorce was on the horizon. The arguments were becoming more frequent and  
>finally on this night, things reached the point of no return.<p>

Kim had made it a habbit of turning the T.V. up loud when her parents were fighting. It drowned them out alot. She was facinated by  
>her parents' arguments, as there would be times when her parents would have very venomous arguments, only to return to acting<br>normal the next morning, like nothing ever happenedBut, tonight, Kim overheard the sound of her mother ordering Jack out of the  
>house. All the times she heard her parents argue, every time the word "divorce" came up, Kim always blew it off. They always said it,<br>and they never followed through. But, judging by the tone in their voices, she fears, it may be happening now. Kim peaks out her  
>bedroom door and sees (and hears) her parents yelling at eachother.<p>

Jack is trying to have some reason with Teri, stating that they are not going to accomplish anything by splitting apart, and it would  
>wreck their daughter. But, Teri is persistant that Jack's demeanor, his lack of being home and his recent violent nature (Jack<br>intimidated a boyfriend of Kim's and sent him running) are the cause of all the turmoil.

Whenever, one of her parents line of sight was facing her direction, Kim hid back in her room, not wanting to be seen.

Finally, when Teri screamed for Jack to get the hell out one more time, Kim heard the sound of her father storming down the hallway,  
>past her room and into the master bedroom. Kim felt a chill go up her spine as her father past.<p>

_This can't be happening, _she thinks to herself,_ It's just another false alarm, it has to be._

But, after a few minutes, Jack emerged from the room, carrying two suitcases. he stopped in front of his daughter's bedroom door  
>and knocked.<p>

"Kim," he said, his voice hoarse from yelling, "Open up. I know you're awake."

Kim opened up the door, her blue eyes looking up at her father, concerned.

Jack said, "Listen, sweetie... I've got to go away for a little while, okay?"

Kim didn't respond. But, her eyes were already starting to water.

"Hey," Jack cooed, "don't be upset. I still love you and so does your Mom.

We just... her and I need to be apart for a while. It'll be better this way."

Jack hugs his daughter, and Kim reciprocates, unable to speak. Jack kisses her on her forehead and tells her he loves her again.

Moments later, Jack approaches the door with his luggage.

He looks back at Teri and Teri looks back at him and a very awkward moment of silence passes.

"You know, Teri... it didn't have to be this way."

"... no... it didn't."

Another odd pause and the two just stare accross from eachother more.

Jack brakes the stare and turns his back to his wife, opens the door, takes his suitcases outside and leaves without another  
>word said.<p>

As soon as the door is closed, Teri starts to get upset. She can't believe what's happening. Jack was the love of her life, and now he  
>was starting to become <em>something else<em>... and he was gone. But, her thoughts quickly turn to Kim. She's probably a wreck. She turns  
>and sees her daughter already standing in the hallway, weeping. As soon as Kim saw her looking at her, she ran away and slammed<br>the door behind her, even after Teri called out to her. Teri spent the rest of the night trying to talk to her through the door, but Kim  
>never answered.<p>

This was the beginning of the intense strain on their relationship. And they would never get the chance to fully rebuild it, either.

Jack would later reconcile with Teri and return home, but the split drove a rift between Teri and Kim that would never begin to repair  
>itself until The Day of the California Presidential Primary.<p>

From this night on, things would never be "normal" for the Bauers again.

* * *

><p><strong>7:30 PM.<br>Cemetary.**

And now, here Jack sits, beside the grave of Teri, musing over his old life and now left stuck in the abyss that remains.

Gone is the young gentleman who met the woman whose remains rest here in this grave. Jack is now a broken, beaten and scarred  
>man trapped inside the shell of a seemingly unstoppable patriotic killing machine.<p>

And the sad thing is, if Jack was given the chance to change everything, he probably wouldn't take it, because of his duty to his  
>country... A country that doesn't give a damn about him.<p>

It's getting dark now. The sky is orange, thanks to the clouds approaching off in the distance. Thankfully, the clouds that are  
>approaching are not full of radioactive fallout from the nuclear device.<p>

Jack's eyes sting from all the crying and he's sore all over. And now that his adrenalin has eased down, he can feel the wounds and  
>the broken bones he's acquired in the past day far more than he could previously.<p>

This is just the end of one of the most traumatic days in his life.

Jack gets back to his knees and wipes his eyes. He kneels over Teri's headstone and rests his forearm and his head on top of it.

"I'm sorry, Teri", he says, "... I'm sorry I let you down."

After a few more moments of visualizing his first love, Jack stands up and walks away... away to his future destination.

Whatever it may be, it's not lying in a box with a carnation on top of him. Not just yet.

But, Jack realizes that whatever future he has, it's best to be away, far way, from this place... from this country. With each step Jack  
>takes towards his future destination, he knows that sooner or later, the ghosts of the past will return and haunt him... just like<br>always.

He knows that this country and her citizens will fall under attack once again, and just like always, he'll be "the only one who can stop  
>it"... just like always<p>

And Jack Bauer knows, no matter what path he takes it only gets worse from here...

just like always.


End file.
